A spa for your mind

Wednesday, January 31, 2018

By Parth Khatau

Since initiatingTrijog from her dining table two years ago and being the youngest member of the team that she leads, Arushi Sethi speaks about how her company strives to look at mental health from a unique point of view, leading India towards being a mentally healthy nation

Arushi Sethi (RIGHT) with her mother Anureet Sethi

With mental health being a prime topic of discussion in recent times, Arushi Sethi, the founder and co-owner of Trijog - Know Your Mind, a mental health services platform is trying to normalise that trend."People need to realise that mental health or facing issues with your mental health is not unusual and that we all face it from time to time," said Arushi. "It is the common cold of the brain and the last thing anyone should do when they face issues mentally is keep to onself and feel afraid or embarrassed at opening up about it," she added.

The idea of starting her own mental health corporation came to her two years ago when she left to holiday in Nepal and the country was struck by an earthquake. "It was a scary time to be there but I was just so glad that I survived and post that I started valuing my life so much more," said Arushi. "I had actually come up with the idea of Trijog as part of a college project but never did I think I would actually make it happen. In Nepal I found so many affected by the earthquake and wondered how wonderful and satisfying it would be to make a difference to lives," she added. "This inspired me to start my own venture to do more of the same."

The Trijog team at their office space in Powai

Trijog, is a progressive platform for mental health care and wellness, we do not use the word 'Patients' for those who visit us. "I never use the 'P' word for any of my clients," said Arushi. "Whoever comes here can even come for just one session and vent out and leave. Of-course there is protocol to follow and certain forms to fill and we look to build a relationship with the client, do further assessment and prescribe the correct approach to treating the issue if the client so desires," she added. However, Arushi insists her venture would not be possible if it was not for the help and guidance of her mother, Anureet Sethi who is a clinical psychologist. "My mother has been a guiding light and I owe all my success to her. She visits the corporation few times a week," said Arushi. "If I am able to be even a percent of what my mother is today, I will consider myself to be hugely successful in life," she smiled.

The company has spread its wings into the corporate space by launching its corporate vertical this year. "We are looking to work with corpaorates and help create a better, healtheir working environment in offices accross the country," said Arushi. "If every employee acheives the mental wellness that he or she can best enjoy, it will have everyone positively singing off the same hymn sheet and lead to the organization doing better," she added.

Arushi today leads a team of 25 people with her being the youngest of the lot. The 23 year old caters to around 140 clients per month and is looking to further expand into international markets like the Middle-East in the near future.

The Trijog office space

Speaking about being in the mental health space as a profession, Arushi said, "With more and more people today being comfortable about speaking about mental health problems, it has led to a growth in demand for professionals in the field." On the topic of how to be a great leader, Arushi said, "I love taking care of my team and the key to being a successful leader is to make your team feel loved and taken care of. They should feel that sense of belonging while working with you." "Whenever I am interviewing someone for a job here the educational qualifications are one set of what we consider. What is most important is for the individual to get the vibe here and imbibe our culture . "Everyone here loves their job!" said Arushi.

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